Fountain vs When I Work (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Fountain if

• Fits if you hire hourly or frontline staff in volume, like restaurants or retail
• Works for firms that want hiring and shift scheduling in one tool

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
• Not for you if you hire for professional-services roles, which isn't its stated focus
• Watch out: separate products are listed, and which you get depends on the quote
• Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed

Pick When I Work if

• Fits if building the schedule eats your Sunday evenings
• Works for call centers and retail stores sharing part-timers across locations

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you need the time clock, since it adds $1.50 to $2 a user on every plan
• Skip it if you want a free plan to stay on, as there's only a 14-day trial
• Not for you if you need an API, webhooks or single sign-on without paying for Premium at $8 a user
• Watch out: the page doesn't say whether prices are monthly or yearly, and its FAQ says the clock is included when the plans charge extra
• Watch out: payroll runs through partners, and scheduling rules, role permissions and custom reports need Pro at $5 a user

Fountain

• No prices are published: the pricing page leads to a demo request form and says pricing is tailored to the product suite.
• The site lists separate products (Source, CRM, ATS, Onboarding, Shift & Scheduling), and which ones a customer gets depends on the quote.
• The vendor describes the audience as frontline and hourly employers; professional-services hiring is not its stated focus.

When I Work

• The time clock, breaks and attendance are an add-on that raises each plan by $1.50 to $2 per user a month, though the page's FAQ says every plan includes them.
• The pricing page offers monthly or annual billing but does not say which basis the listed prices use.
• API keys, webhooks and SAML single sign-on need the Premium plan.
• Payroll runs through partners; Rippling, the preferred partner, offers When I Work customers six months free.

Fountain

Sourcing

Finds and engages frontline applicants around the clock, according to the vendor.

CRM for rehiring

Keeps past applicants and former workers on file so they can be contacted when a role opens again.

Applicant tracking

Takes candidates from application to offer, including interview scheduling and automated offers.

Onboarding

Collects forms and handles first-day steps for new hires, with an AI support agent for questions before day one.

Shift and scheduling

A scheduling product aimed at filling open shifts before gaps appear.

AI recruiter and Cue

An AI recruiter screens candidates, and the Cue assistant takes plain-language requests such as hiring ten associates or filling weekend shifts.

When I Work

Auto-scheduling

Managers enter the coverage they need and the app assigns shifts from employee availability and qualifications in one click.

Templates and multi-week schedules

Saved templates such as a weekend rush or holiday plan are reused to build schedules weeks ahead, across several locations.

Shift trades and OpenShifts

Employees swap or pick up open shifts from the app, and managers approve or decline each request before the schedule updates.

Time clock on any device

With the time tracking add-on, staff clock in from phones, tablets or terminals, with GPS or geofencing, break tracking and overtime tracking tied to the schedule.

Team messaging

Managers and staff message individuals or the whole team in the app without sharing phone numbers.

Payroll exports

Approved hours go to payroll services including Rippling, Gusto, Square Payroll, Paychex, QuickBooks Online and OnPay.

Fountain

Pricing could not be confirmed. See fountain.com.

When I Work

• Essentials$2.50

  per user / month ($4 with time tracking and attendance)

  Unlimited users. Auto-scheduling, multi-week and multi-location schedules, templates, forecasting, messaging, OpenShifts and swaps.

• Pro$5

  per user / month ($7 with time tracking and attendance)

  Adds scheduling rules, role permissions, labor sharing, custom forecasting units, custom reports and callout reporting.

• Premium$8

  per user / month ($10 with time tracking and attendance)

  Adds API keys, webhooks and SAML single sign-on.